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Police in central Vietnam said the driver of a passenger bus which collided head-on with a truck last weekend might have fallen asleep at the wheel.

Though the driver has been dead, the police will still launch an criminal probe into theaccident, which also caused eight other deaths in Thanh Hoa Province Saturday afternoon, Colonel Nguyen Van Binh, deputy director of the provincial police department, was quoted by Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper as saying Monday.

They also dismissed reports that a flat tire was the cause of the accident.

“All of the tires of the car were undamaged. There was no flat tire,” said police officer Tran Van Long, who investigated the case.

Police also said the driver of the truck, Lai Van Can, appeared to be only a victim in the accident. His truck's registration had expired, but it did not cause the accident, they said.

Can is receiving treatments at a local hospital.

The bus was carrying a family to a wedding party from Nghe An to Hanoi. The wedding was scheduled on Sunday.

Six people died on the spot, and three others succumbed to injuries on the way to hospital.